Controlling mechanism for submarine mines.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1907.

J. A. REY.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR SUBMARINE MINES.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.10, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. J. A. REY.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR SUBMARINB MINES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 10, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(ljii'nuw JEAN ALEXANDRE REY, or PARIS, FRANCE.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR SUBMARINE MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April as, 1907.

Application filed October 10, 1905. Serial No. 282,112.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EAN ALEXANDRE REY, a citizen of the Republic ofFrance, residing at 26 Avenue de Suffren, Paris, France, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Controlling Mechanism for Submarine Mines,which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to the firing mechanism of automatic submarinemines or torpedoes in which the explosion occurs either on the impact ofa moving vessel or on the explosion of a neighboring mine orcountermine.

ence of the shock caused by the impact of a moving vessel.

It is evident that if the explosion is caused by the shock of impact ofa mass moving at a small s eed the explosion will still more certainly ecaused by the much greater shock due to the explosion of a neighboringmine or countermine. Thus the greater number of the arrangementshitherto used have the great disadvantage of exploding the mine throughsympathythat is to say, when a nei hboring mine or countermine explodeswit in a certain range. However, there exists an essential diflerencebetween the shock due to the impact of a floating body against a mineand the shock caused by the explosion of aneighboring mine. The shockproduced by a floatin body takes place without materially mod' ing theequilibrium of pressure of the liquid mass surrounding the mine. Theshock due to an explosion is, on the contrary, derived from thevibrations transmitted by the water, and consequently is only felt whenan enormous pressure is developed, commencing with the center of theexplosion and diminishing around this center with the square of thedistance.

The principle of the different arrangements for controlling the firingmechanism of automatic submarine mines which forms the subject of thisinvention consists in'the employment of the hydrostatic pressure of thewater upon an elastic diaphragm which itself acts upon a longitudinallymovable rod within the mine, the hydrostatic pressure which acts uponthe diaphragm being balanced by one or more springs.

In the annexed drawings, which illustrate the invention, Fi res 1 and 2show two arrangements base upon the principle. hereinbefore set forth,and Fig. 3 shows lts application to a ndulum-controlled mechanism.

1 is a re controlling the firing mechanism, which is actuated by theinertia of a moving pendulum, Fig. 3, or otherwise, as has been statedabove. The rod 1 is for thepurpose of locking the firing mechanism(which may be constructed in various ways) to render 1t inoperative or,on the other hand, to liberate it.

The rod 1 receives its motion from an elastic diaphragm 2, fixed to itand acted upon by the ressure of the water passing in through oles inthe cap 3. 'One or more springs act upon the diaphragm 2. Thus in Fi 1there are two springs 4 and 5 placed on eit er side of the rod 1, and inFigs. 2 and 3 there is a single spring 6 surrounding the rod, thesesprings in both instances serving to counterbalance the thrust of thediaphragms between two given limits of pressure.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 the rod 1 has upon it a forkedprolongation 7, which embraces a blade-spring 8, and is provided with arounded head 9. When the rod 1 is drawn in by the diaphragm 2 in itsdownward movement, the head 9 strikes against the top 10 of the spring8, whichis flexed by the pressure of the head 9 to an extent calculatedbeforehand.

In Figs. 2 and 3 a truss 11, fixed upon the diaphragm 2 and fast withthe rod 1, has a fiat lower side 12. 13 is a helical spring restingagainst a shoulder of the casin 14 and carrying at its free end a disk15, guided in its longitudinal movement by bolts 16, of which there maybe three.

When the diaphragm 2 descends under the influence of the hydrostaticpressure and when the fiat portion 12 strikes against the disk 15, thedisk compresses the helical spring 13 and the rod is displacedlongitudinall to a certain extent.

T e function of the" leaf-spring 8 in Fig. 1 and the helical s rings 13in Figs. 2 and 3 is to balance the iaphragm against a thrust causedeither by a greater hydrostatic pres- IIO sure or by the pressure due toa neighboring explosion. The first-named springs, 4 and in Fig. 1 and 6inFigs. 2 and 3, are arranged in such manner as to be ca able ofregulation or adjustment in order to the lower limits of the hydrostaticpressure under which the mine can be exploded, while the secondnamedsprings, 8' in Fig. 1 and 13 in Figs. 2 and 3, are calculated in suchmanner as to respond to a greater pressure than thatnecessary tocompress the first-named springs. The acticn of the springs 8 and 13,which correspond to "a lCllgltUdlIlfll movement of the red 1, has forits object to render the firing mechanism inoperative as soon as thepressure becomes greater than a given limit, thus to cause the mine tobe inoperative when it descends-to a certain depth or when itexperiences a disturbing effect due to the shock of a neighboringexplosion. In other words, the first spring has for its object to unlockthe firing mechanism under the action of the diaphragm from a givenpressure upward, and the second spring has for its object to lock thefiring mechanism when the pressure reaches and surpasses a given maximallimit. The whole system is therefore cocked, as it were, between twolimits of pressurethe one a minimal pressure and the other a maximalpressure. The means for adjusting the springs 4 and 5 of Fig. 1 and 6 ofFigs. 2 and 3 consists in the former, in this instance, of the screws5*, that engage threaded bores in rods 5", dis osed adjacent to andpreferably parallel wit the rod 1. and the latter ofperipherally-threaded nuts 6, that engage threaded bores in extensions 6of the caps.

The working of the arrangement shown is as follows: So soon as the mineis placed in the,water and the pressure attains even a small amountforexample, corresponding to a depth of fifty centimeters of Water thediaphragm 2 is displaced, the tension of the counter springs 4, 5, and 6being calculated in such a manner as to allow of this displacement. Sosoon as the diaphragm is thus displaced the rod 1 sets free the firingmechanism and the mine is then operativethat is to say, it can explodeunder the influence of a shock the minimum value' of which is known. Asthe mine sinks lower into the water the diaphragm 2 is correspondinglydisplaced and the rod 1 continues to leave the firing mechanism free.l/Vhen the pressure of the water has become such that the displacementof the rod 1 allows the head 9, Fig. 1, to touch the spring 8 at thepoint 10 or the flat ortion 12, Fig. 2, to come into contact with t edisk 15, the increasing pressure of the water causes the blade-s ring 8or the helical spring 13, according-to t e arrangement used, to becompressed. The firing mechanism is constructed in such a manner thatduring the whole movement of the diaphragm 2 up to the point at whichthe spring 8 or 13 is actuated its liberty of movement is complete. Theamount of movement of the diaphragm corresponds, therefore, tothe limitvalues of the hydrostatic pressure at which the mine can explode: Sosoon 'as the spring 8 or 13 comes into action, starting with this limit,I

firing mechanism, properly so called and not shown in the drawings. Inthe position indicated the diaphragm 2 is at the upper portion of itstravel. It does not exert any action upon the rod 1, which is pivoted at18 to a forked lever 19, working about a pivot- The lever 19 carriesupon its lower limb 20. a socket 21, engaging a projection 22 on thelower end of the pendulum. In the position shown the pendulum 17 cannotoscillate, and consequently the firing mechanism, which may be of anytype, is locked. When the diaphragm 2 descends and moves the rod 1 down,the lever 19 rocks about its pivot 20, and the socket 21 frees theprojection 22. The pendulum 17 is now free to oscillate. This release ofthe pendulum occurs at the smallest depth at which the diaphragm 2 movesin compressing the springs 4 and 5 or 6. When the. diaphragm 2 moves inso much that, as explained, the truss 11 compresses the spring 13%. e.,as the rod 1 moves far ther 1n-a collar 23 on the upper ortion of theforked lever 19 descends upon t e pendulum 17, as shown at 23. Underthese conditions the pendulum 17 can no longer oscillate and the firingmechanism is locked.

The pendulum arrangement above described is merely shown to illustratethe in' vention. It does not form part of this invention and may becarried out in many different ways. It is shown merely to illustratethe. method of action of the rod 1 in the different stages of itsmovement.

This invention, therefore, allows two entirely distinct effects to beobtained. In the first stage of the movement of the rod 1 thehydrostatic pressure may only be small, commencing, for example, atfifty centimeters of water and increasing until it attains ten meters.If, therefore, the mine sinks to a depth of more than ten meters, thesecond spring (8 or 13) comes-into play, the rod 1 continues to fall,and the firing mechanism can no longer be operated. There is thusobtained the first result that the mineis operative only at a certaindepth of water, above and below which it will not explode. In cases inwhich to a neighboring explosion would lead to the firing of the mineitself. The above-described system therefore enables the depth below thesurface at which the mine can exlode to be regulated and prevents theacciental explosion of drift mines and also prevents the sympatheticexplosion of the mine as soon as the ydrostatic pressure produced isgreater than that at which the mine can explode. The expression preventsthe ex 10- sion of drift names is to be nnderstoo as meaning that thearrangement disclosed automatically locks the firing mechanism of anymine which on account of the breaking of its anchor-cable floats on thesurface of the water or at a depth less than that at which the explosionshould take place.

a 1. In a submarine mine, a firing mechanism operative only withinpredetermined pres sures.

- '2. In a submarine mine, a hydrostaticall controlled firing mechanismoperative on y Within predetermined pressures.

3. T e combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member operative beyond extreme pressuresfor controlling the firing mechanism.

4, The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hy- -drostatically actuated member, inert exce t at a predetermineddepth, for controlling t e firing mechanism.

5. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism, and to lock the same at predetermined extreme positions.

6. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism, said member operating only at a predetermined pressure torelease the said mechanism.

7. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a mov able member for controlling the firing mechanism, and meansactuated by hydrostatic pressure to cause the movable member to renderthe firing mechanism operative under a mean pressure but inoperativeunder extreme pressures.

8. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controljustab ling the firingmechanism and operating only within predetermined pressures to releasethe said mechanism, and means for varying the resistance of the memberto movement.

9. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostaticall -actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism, and pressure-0pposing means for varying the resistance of themember to movement.

10. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism, and adjustable pressure-o posing means for varying theresistance o the member to movement.

11. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism and operating at within predetermined pressures to release thesaid mechanism, and resilient means for varying the resistance of themember to movement.

12. The combination with a submarine mine and firing mechanism therefor,of a hydrostatically-actuated member for controlling the firingmechanism and operating at within predetermined pressures to release thesaid inechanism, and adjustable s rings disposed in the path of movement0 the member for varying its resistance of movement.

13. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withwater-inlets, a flexible diaphragm arranged within the casing, .a rodconnected with the diaphragmand operating to control the firingmechanism, and springs coacting with the diaphragm, one 0 which 0 cratesto counterbalance the thrust of the diaphragm between two given limitsof ressure, and the other to balance a greater tffrust caused by anincreased hydro static pressure.

14. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withwater-inlets, a flexible diaphragm arranged within the easing; a rodconnected with the diaphragm and operating to control the firingmechanism, and s rings coacting with the diaphragm, one 0 which 0 eratesto counterbalance the thrust of the iaphragm between two given limits ofressure, and the other to balance a greater t rust caused by anincreased hydrostatic pressure, one of thesprings being ade to the lowerlimits of the hydrostatic ressure under which the mine can be explo ed.

15. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withwater-inlets, a flexible diaphragm arranged within the easing, a memberactuated by the diaphra m for controlling the firingmechanism, anpressure-opposing means coacting with the diaphragm, one of whichoperates to counterbalance the thrust of the diaphragm between two givenlimits of pressure, and the other to balance a greater thrust caused byan inmine, of a c sing creased hydrostatic pressure.

16. The combination with a submarine provided with water-inlets, aflexible diaphragm arranged within the easing, a member actuated by thedia hragm to control the firing mechanism, and pressure opposing meanscoacting with the diaphragm, one of which is adjustable and operates tocounterbalance the thrust of the diaphragm between two given limits ofpressure, and the other to balance a greater thrust caused by anincreased hydrostatic pressure.

17. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withwater-inlets, and a flexible diaphragm arranged within the casing, andoperatively' connected with the firing mechanism of the mine, the amountof movement of the dia hragm corresponding to the limit values of t ehydrostatic pressure at which the mine can explode.

18. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withWater-inlets, a flexible diaphragm arranged within the easing, a rodconnected with the diaphragm and operating to control the firingmechanism,

and springs coacting with the diaphragm, 3 one of which operates tocounterbalance the thrust of the diaphragm up to a given lower limit ofpressure, and the other to balance a greater thrust caused by anincreased hydrostatic pressure from a given upper limit of pressureupward.

19. The combination with a submarine mine, of a casing provided withWater-inlets, a flexible diaphragm arranged within the easing, a rodconnected with the diaphragm and operating to control the firingmechanism, and s rings coacting with the diaphragm, one of whichoperates to counterbalance the thrust of the diaphragm up to a givenlower limit of ressure and the other to balance a greater t rust causedby an increased hydro static pressure from a given limit of pressureupward, the said springs being adjustable to fix the maximal limit ofthe hydrostatic pressure under which the mine can be exploded, so thatthe firing mechanism canbe operated when between given limits ofpressure and is locked it said pressure is not comprised between saidlimits.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JEAN ALEXANDRE REY.

Witnesses:

JEAN VAUOHER, H. 0. 00x11.

